help..guitar recording approach

[rrahmd]

hi all,i am using native instruments guitar rig for effects like distortion etc.. wanted to ask whats the better way of recording guitar .. should i record it clean? and then add effects after(using guitar rig)....may be at the time of mixing?or..should i directly record with effects needed?please let me know if the two approaches makes any difference to the final mix? and/or wats the usual practice..Thanks.

[guitarhelper]

When you use GR as a plugin, the effects are not recorded.
Whe you mix , then they are "printed".

Brian
Guitar Equipment Advice for Guitar Players-GuitarHelper.net

[Blues Boy]

I would say record with the sound that best fits the song and your mood. This way you can use the tone as inspiration and then change it to fit in the mix if necessary

[guitarhelper]

I agree totally with Blues Boy.
Get a sound close to what you need and tweak it later.
Brian
Guitar Equipment Advice for Guitar Players-GuitarHelper.net

[uab9253]

Agreed, with everything I do, the tone affects the performance. I cannot for the life of me, record a dry vocal or a totally stripped guitar, it would really hurt how I perform the part. I mostly overdo it while tracking vocals and then re-do the vocal effects during final mix. I find that I also make the backing tracks really sparse so I can hear the reverb breathe, but have to change reverb type and amount pretty drastically when mixing as it can quickly turn to mud.

[brandondrury]

or..should i directly record with effects needed?

I always say that if an effect is crucial to the song's character, it should be captured during tracking.

However, as was already stated,when you use Guitar Rig, all you are capturing is the direct sound of the guitar. You can change your sound anytime you want to even during mixing. So in this situation you never really commit unless you render your guitar tracks down.

Brandon

[uab9253]

And boy, oh boy, that to me is one of the real beautiful things about this recording method. I love the revisionism that is allowed at mixdown time. So many times I've been locked into a sound I thought was really cool early in tracking but sounded like poo at the final mix. Same with EQ. Best thing since sliced bread.

[Blues Boy]

Originally Posted by uab9253

And boy, oh boy, that to me is one of the real beautiful things about this recording method. I love the revisionism that is allowed at mixdown time. So many times I've been locked into a sound I thought was really cool early in tracking but sounded like poo at the final mix. Same with EQ. Best thing since sliced bread.

Agreed, but sometimes I find myself with too many choices and find it hard to stop fiddling. It is a good problem to have. I will take that over the old way any day.

[brandondrury]

I've been locked into a sound I thought was really cool early in tracking but sounded like poo at the final mix.

This happens to me less and less and less. I find that my instincts are getting more and more consistent.

Agreed, but sometimes I find myself with too many choices and find it hard to stop fiddling. It is a good problem to have.

Not me. I try to limit choice each and every chance I get. Choice is a form of enslavement.

The dude that recorded The Outfield's "Your Love" and Cindy Lauper's "Time After Time" explained this one to me once. He looked at recording as sort of a snap shot in a moment in time where you capture a certain mindset. Just like looking at old high school pics is kind of embarassing / kind of funny that's how recordings may be too. If you sanitize yourself from hammering home exactly where you are in that moment in time, something is lost.

So I don't know. I don't think I've ever made a bad decision from comitting. I just have to make sure I really like it. Even if it's a "little out there" it won't be that terrible.

[uab9253]

Originally Posted by Blues Boy

Agreed, but sometimes I find myself with too many choices and find it hard to stop fiddling. It is a good problem to have. I will take that over the old way any day.

I hear what Brandon is saying, but I continue to be lured by the Siren call of revisionism. What I did with my first 2 Cubase projects was delete the project files after I had the final wave done. Now that is pretty final, except for mastering/eq'ing the stereo tracks. The newer stuff I am going to burn the project files off to DVD when they start taking to much room. At that point I am less likely to go back to the source tracks and re-tool.

It's so easy to do a new take, especially on the stuff that is direct, I am struggling with finality there, as well as all the other plug-in and eq stuff.

My cpu limitations and the fact that Line6 gear box is CPU hungry - so I have to freeze a lot of my guitar tracks, which temporarily makes me commit at least.